TY - JOUR
AU - Newcombe, A. Peter
AU - Dunn, L. Tamara
AU - Casey, M. Leanne
AU - Sheffield, K. Jeanie
AU - Petsky, Helen
AU - Anderson-James, Sophie
AU - Chang, B. Anne
PY - DA - 2012/02/08
TI - Breathe Easier Online: Evaluation of a Randomized Controlled Pilot Trial of an Internet-Based Intervention to Improve Well-being in Children and Adolescents With a Chronic Respiratory Condition
JO - J Med Internet Res
SP - e23
VL - 14
IS - 1
KW - Internet-based intervention
KW - chronic respiratory condition
KW - psychosocial well-being
KW - children and adolescents
KW - randomized controlled trial
AB - Background: Chronic respiratory illnesses are the most common group of childhood chronic health conditions and are overrepresented in socially isolated groups. Objective: To conduct a randomized controlled pilot trial to evaluate the efficacy of Breathe Easier Online (BEO), an Internet-based problem-solving program with minimal facilitator involvement to improve psychosocial well-being in children and adolescents with a chronic respiratory condition. Methods: We randomly assigned 42 socially isolated children and adolescents (18 males), aged between 10 and 17 years to either a BEO (final n = 19) or a wait-list control (final n = 20) condition. In total, 3 participants (2 from BEO and 1 from control) did not complete the intervention. Psychosocial well-being was operationalized through self-reported scores on depression symptoms and social problem solving. Secondary outcome measures included self-reported attitudes toward their illness and spirometry results. Paper-and-pencil questionnaires were completed at the hospital when participants attended a briefing session at baseline (time 1) and in their homes after the intervention for the BEO group or a matched 9-week time period for the wait-list group (time 2). Results: The two groups were comparable at baseline across all demographic measures (all F < 1). For the primary outcome measures, there were no significant group differences on depression (P = .17) or social problem solving (P = .61). However, following the online intervention, those in the BEO group reported significantly lower depression (P = .04), less impulsive/careless problem solving (P = .01), and an improvement in positive attitude toward their illness (P = .04) compared with baseline. The wait-list group did not show these differences. Children in the BEO group and their parents rated the online modules very favorably. Conclusions: Although there were no significant group differences on primary outcome measures, our pilot data provide tentative support for the feasibility (acceptability and user satisfaction) and initial efficacy of an Internet-based intervention for improving well-being in children and adolescents with a chronic respiratory condition. Trial registration: Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry number: ACTRN12610000214033; http://www.anzctr.org.au/trial_view.aspx?ID=308074 (Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/63BL55mXH)
UR - http://www.jmir.org/2012/1/e23/
DO - 10.2196/jmir.1997
UR - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22356732
ID - info:doi/10.2196/jmir.1997
ER -